Global football, written sharply
The DHS Secretary’s ‘Happy Dance’ Reveals FIFA’s Biggest Problem Markwayne Mullin didn’t mince words. Standing at a World Cup security briefing in Washington on Monday, the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary told reporters he was “so glad they’re gone” after Iran drew their way out of Group G. “There wasn’t a single team,” he said, “that … Read more
England top Group L but Reece James’ injury and Croatia vs Ghana create real tension. We break down the permutations and the squad’s unsung stories.
Iran’s squad arrived in the United States carrying more baggage than any team at this World Cup. Visa delays. Restricted training sessions. A formal FIFA complaint filed on June 19 after Amir Ghalenoei’s squad found that credential approvals and entry permits were not the same thing. They navigated all of it, played three Group G … Read more
Cape Verde, population 500,000, have reached the World Cup round of 32 for the first time. Here is how they did it and what comes next against Argentina.
On Monday, Achraf Hakimi will captain Morocco in the World Cup Round of 32 against the Netherlands in Guadalupe, Mexico. He is his country’s best player. He is also confirmed, since June 19, to stand trial for rape in a French criminal court. FIFA has said nothing. Morocco’s coach backs him. Sections of the crowd … Read more
Japan face Brazil, Morocco meet the Netherlands. Can either side end football’s most stubborn monopoly? A tactical look at the World Cup’s most intriguing…
Amir Ghalenoei put a question to the other 47 World Cup 2026 coaches. None of them answered. “We are here for football, not politics, and we are saying that again,” the Iran head coach said, after a month in which his squad arrived in Los Angeles with fewer than 16 hours before kickoff, watched their … Read more
As New York dances and Mexico qualifies, cartel violence keeps millions watching indoors. María Castellano on the World Cup’s uncomfortable contradictions.
Brazil’s World Cup 2026 Referee Complaint: What FIFA Can and Can’t Do About It Brazil’s formal World Cup 2026 referee complaint, filed by the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol on 26 June, arrived with the clarity of a legal brief. The CBF demanded that referee Cesar Ramos be removed from all future Brazil fixtures. It cited … Read more
Seattle’s Pride Match pits Egypt against Iran in a politically charged World Cup fixture. What happens when football’s biggest stage meets LGBTQ+ rights?
